Push pull type exercising device

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for physical exercise having a handrail support, a longitudinal guide track extending in a plane beneath and fore and aft of the handrail support, a carriage slideable along the rail and adapted to be engaged by the feet of an individual.

United States Patent Inventor Alexander Agamian 1366 Kotenberg Ave., San Jose, Calif. 95 125 App]. No. 825,577

Filed May 19, 1969 Patented Mar. 30, 1971 PUSH PULL TYPE EXERCISING DEVICE 8 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 272/79, 272/81 Int. Cl a A63b 21/00 Field of Search 272/80, 63,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,916,660 7/1933 Duff 272/79 2,682,402 6/1954 McCarthy 272/83 Primary ExaminerRichard C. Pinkham Assistant Examiner-William R. Browne Attorneys-Jack M. Wiseman and Thomas E. Schatzel ABSTRACT: An apparatus for physical exercise having a handrail support, a longitudinal guide track extending in a plane beneath and fore and aft of the handrail support, a carriage slideable along the rail and adapted to be engaged by the feet of an individual.

PATENIED ms oie n INVENTOR. ALEXANDER fGAMIAN ATTORNEY PUSH PULL TYPE EXERCISING DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION for exercising only certain segments or muscles of the body. 1

Consequently, it is necessary to have equipment of numerous separate and distinct features to be well-equipped for exercising. Furthermore, a great deal of the exercising equipment heretofore available is complex in structure and expensive in cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention teaches an apparatus for physical exercise-which is of simple structure and of low cost. The apparatus provides for thorough exercise of numerous parts of the body. An exemplary embodiment includes a rail support having a pair of handrails for grasping by the hands and supporting the weight of the individual. A guide track extends fore and aft of the hand supports and beneath the rails. The guide track guides a carriage adapted to be engaged by the feet and slideable along the track.

Accordingly, the exercising individual grasps the hand rails to support his weight and moves the carriage with his feet. Thus, the individual may perform various exercises with his feet aft his hands,'with his feet fore his hands, with his feet beneath his hands and numerous other positions merely by urging the carriage to the select position. When his feet are in the extreme aft position, the individual assumes a substantially chest-down prone position. When his feet are in the extreme fore position the individual assumes 'a substantially back-down prone-position. Intermediate the-extremes the individual is in various relative squatting positions. The apparatus is of simple structure'with only one moving part other than the pivot mounts for the feet, namely: the carriage sliding along the rails.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exerciser of the present invention in use with the individual in a substantially chest-down prone position;

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate the present invention in use with the body in squatting and substantially back-down prone positions; and

FIG. 4 is a view of the carriage member taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 1. I

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A physical apparatus, referred to by the general reference character 1, is illustrated in the drawings. The apparatus 1 includes a handrail support rest 3. The support rest 3 is constructed to provide sufiicient support to bear the weight of the individual and to support the individuals hands a select distance above the ground level. The illustrated rest 3 carries a pair of individual hand grasps 5 supported above the surface by support arms 7. The length of the arms 7 may be optionally adjusted by an adjustment sleeve 8. The adjustment aids in selecting the height of the grasps 5 depending on the size of the individual using the apparatus. The arms 7 supporting opposite grasps 5 are joined together by a horizontal bar means 9. Each horizontal bar means 9 includes optionally an adjustment sleeve 10 permitting adjustment of the lateral distance between the grasps 5 depending on the size of the individual using the apparatus. In the embodiment, the grasps 5, arms 7,

bars 9, sleeves 8 and 10 are all formed into a unitary structure. The structure may be of tubing of a strong material such as stainless steel. 7

Extending beneath the grasps 5 and over the bars 9 is a uide track in the form of a rail 11. The guide track extends ore and aft of the support rest 3. The rail Ill may be in individual segments and joined by a joining device 14 for easy disassemble to facilitate the storing and shipping of the apparatus. In this manner, a compact structure for storage is pro- 0 vided. Opposing ends of the rail 11 are supported by anchor members 15 and 17.

A slideable carriage, referred to by the general reference character 19, and including a pair of foot supports 21 engages the rail 11. The foot supports 21 carry a sole member 23 and a top strap 25. The sole members 23 are each pivotable about a pin 27 extending substantially normal to the axis of the rail 11. The pins 27 join a central block 29 having a central aperture 31 compatible with the cross section of the rail 1!. Ac cordingly, the carriage 19 may be slid-along the rail 11 fore and aft the support rest 3. At the same time, the foot supports are free to rotate about the pins 27. FIG. 1 further illustrates that the carriage 19 can carry additional weight such as by including a weight 33 supported on the block 29. The value of the weight 33 is selected dependent upon the individual using the apparatus.

In operation, an individual grasps the handgrasps 5 and positions his feet in the individual foot supports 2 Movement of the legs urges the carriage 19 along the rail 11 so that the body may experience numerous positions as indicated in FIGS. l3. Through these various positions, nearly all the. segments of the body can be exercised. This includes the individuals leg, arm, shoulder, back, chest and stomach muscles. By virtue of the apparatus of the present invention, an individual supports his own weight under the force of gravity in various positions to maximize exercise by full body contraction or full body stretching. The distance between the top of the track and the top of the hand rest is limited, since it has been found that a distance in the range between 6 and 18 inches is most effective for the average size person.

I claim: 1. Apparatus for physical exercise comprising, in combination:

a handrail support means having a pair of handgrasps in spaced apart relationship; a longitudinal guide track consisting of only one rail extending beneath and intermediate the handgrasps; and a carriage substantially encircling and engaging the guide track and slideable along the track, the carriage including foot support means. 2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the guide track extends fore and aft of the handrail support means.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said foot supports extend substantially normal to the guide track on opposite sides of the carriage and are pivotal about a shaft on the carriage,

substantially normal to the axis of the guide track.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 in which the guide track extends fore and aft of the handrail support means.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 further including'adjustment means for selecting the lateral distance between the handgrasps.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 in which the carriage includes means for carrying additional selected weights.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4 and including joining means for assembling and disassembly of said track.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein the distance between the top of said handrail support means and the top of said track is in the range between 6 and l8inches. 

1. Apparatus for physical exercise comprising, in combination: a handrail support means having a pair of handgrasps in spaced apart relationship; a longitudinal guide track consisting of only one rail extending beneath and intermediate the handgrasps; and a carriage substantially encircling and engaging the guide track and slideable along the track, the carriage including foot support means.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the guide track extends fore and aft of the handrail support means.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said foot supports extend substantially normal to the guide track on opposite sides of the carriage and are pivotal about a shaft on the carriage substantially normal to the axis of the guide track.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3 in which the guide track extends fore and aft of the handrail support means.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4 further including adjustment means for selecting the lateral distance between the handgrasps.
 6. The apparatus of claim 4 in which the carriage includes means for carrying additional selected weights.
 7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4 and including joining means for assembling and disassembly of said track.
 8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein the distance between the top of said handrail support means and the top of said track is in the range between 6 and 18inches. 